An Assassin's journey
by thestargod
Summary: The tale of a handler and his charge in one of the most terrifying organizations in the Imperium of Man: the Culexus temple.


_Author's Note: Greetings citizens of the Imperium and heretical xenos, welcome to another addition to my library of Warhammer 40k fan fiction! It's been a while but this is my second story in a series on Imperial assassins. If you want to read the first story it's labeled _Memories of a Weapon. _Also, forgive this one being a bit short, it's only because I got a bit impatient with the story and wanted to end it. Anyway, let me know what you think with a comment!_

* * *

All living creatures have some connection to an alternative plane of existence known simply as the Warp. It is our emotions that allow this world to exist and it is our baser instincts that have created the monstrous abomination known as Chaos. However, there are a rare number of humans that are born with a special gene that severs their connection to the Warp. For lack of a better description these people are born without a soul. This does not go unnoticed by those around them and as a result, these soulless beings are treated with fear and contempt. It is a rare gift to be blessed with this gene, a gift that can be used in the Emperor's name to strike out against his enemies and accomplish what entire armies fail to do.

Imagine a weapon more powerful than the largest battleship or planet cracking bomb. A weapon that does not need to kill because it's mere existence causes the strongest individual to take its own life. The temple that I represent is the most feared organization in all the galaxy, even more then the mighty Inquisition itself. We do not deal death from afar with a single bullet or attempt to reach a target through trickery or deceit. We are not rage incarnate, we are simply nothing.

My name is Jax Dormond, and I am a handler and recruiting officer for the Culexus Temple.

* * *

"She's a damn menace sir. Begging your pardon for my harsh language but the whole town is downright terrified of that little daemon witch. The only one who will go near that thing is the old crone woman and she's damn near gone anyway."

The mayor of this small town on this backwater planet is sitting across the table from me dressed in the tackiest gold necklace and imitation fur robe I have ever seen. Set in front of me is a large plate of meat and vegetables and a cup of what I can only assume passes for good wine here. I lean forward as I force a smile. This meeting has gone on for an hour, endlessly enduring this man's whining and bargaining. I am impatient to complete my mission and get back to my ship.

"Thank you for your concern and while this gesture of respect will reflect favorably in my report I would like to remind you that you are dealing with forces and events much bigger then you. If these rumors are true that girl will be more valuable than the lives of everyone in this quaint little hamlet. You have been well paid and the fine citizens of this tiny town will never want for anything ever again. Now, if you would be so kind please take me to her and stop wasting my time!"

The mayor stumbles out of his chair as I rise almost tripping over his robe. He hurriedly opens the door for me as we exit into the evening air and head towards the outskirts of town.

The reason why I have put up with this tiny man's pontificating is because what I am after is more valuable then the rarest gem or work of art. While I claim I am here on business as a representative of the planetary government I am actually one of the most secretive and dangerous organizations in the Imperium of Man: the Officio Assassinorum. It is my job to scour the Imperium for promising candidates and train them to become weapons of death and destruction.

We reach the outskirts of town ten minutes after we left the mayor's home. The sun is setting and the sky is beginning to turn grey. While there is a row of respectable looking houses along the street they are all deserted. As we approach the final house there is a sudden chill in the air and the sky seems to darken. The mayor shrinks away as I continue on. It is a seemingly pleasant looking two story house with a small yard and a wrought iron fence. It is built in standard Gothic style with a slanted roof and four medium sized windows. I take a deep breath, open the gate, and walk towards the front door.

As I enter the house I begin to feel ill. Anyone born with the null gene emits an aura of anti Warp energy that causes grave discomfort to anyone nearby. While I have been trained to cope it still makes me uneasy. The house is dark with the exception of a single oil lamp, the people on this planet have only just discovered electricity. Near the lamp is the old woman the mayor was talking about. Her eyes are closed and she makes no move to acknowledge my existence. If it wasn't for her constant rocking back and forth I would have assumed she was dead. I approach her and kneel to eye level.

"Pardon madam, but I have come to see the girl. She has a gift that can be of great use for all humanity and I have come to give her a life better then what waits for her here."

I don't have to ask her permission, I cold simply take her if I wanted to but in my long years of service I have found that it is better to be polite and courteous when asking for the life of a child.

The woman opens her eyes, her pupils are milky white. Despite the fact that she is blind I can't help but think she can see right through me. She says nothing as she points to a set of stairs leading up to the second level.

As I climb the stairs I begin to feel worse. Although I have been trained and modified to resist the effects of the null gene by the best teachers in the galaxy there is still a limit to my endurance. This recruit must be incredibly powerful.

The girl's room is at the end of a long hallway. There are no windows and no lights. The aura of despair makes the already gloomy house seem even darker. I walk down the hall and place my hand on the doorknob. It is icy to the touch. I take a deep breath as I open the door and step inside.

The girl's room is bare and windowless with a single gas lantern for lighting. There is a desk and chair to the left and the girl is sitting on the bed in the opposite corner. She's young, maybe eight or nine years old with pale skin and long raven black hair tied into two pig tails. She appears to be a normal little girl until I look into her eyes. These are not the eyes of a child, rather the eyes of somebody who has both given and received great pain and misery for her entire life. As I walk closer I can make out the color: bright violet with specks of blue. I somehow manage to force a smile as the aura around the girl grows stronger.

"Hello young one," I manage to say as I kneel down to her level. I force myself to meet her gaze and treat her with compassion and respect.

"My name is Jax, I'm here because I want to take you away from this town to a place where you can be accepted and cared for, a place where your gifts can be used to help and be given the care and love you deserve."

I feel the aura weakening just a tiny bit. She is not used to being treated with kindness.

She blinks for the first time since I've entered the room. I can sense that she is probing my mind searching for any indication that I am lying and I let her. For what seems like an eternity she probes my thoughts, learning about the Imperium, the Officio Assassinorum, my life. When she is done she gets off her bed and hugs me. She wants to go.

From the dark corners of my mind I remember an old song that my mother used to sing to me, an ancient Earth melody that somehow managed to survive the countless millennia. She relaxes as I sing to her.

_You are my sunshine, my only sunshine_

_You make me happy, when skies are grey._

_You'll never know dear, how much I love you._

_Please don't take my sunshine away._

She hugs me tighter as I fire the tranquilizer gun into her arm. She understands that she cannot see what comes next.

* * *

**Fifteen years later aboard the Inquisition Black Ship **_**Imperial Hammer**_

"Geosynchronous orbit established, receiving teleportation coordinates from Imperial Command".

I can't help but admire the crew aboard the _Imperial Hammer _as they see to their appointed tasks, nothing but efficiency and order when carrying out the secret will of the Emperor.

"Thank you Captain," I reply. "I must go and prepare the assassin for the mission, prepare for immediate teleportation upon our return."

I don't know the name of the planet we are about to land on, I am only given information important to the mission. We have come here to assassinate a powerful Eldar psyker, labeled as a "Farseer" by Imperial intelligence. This Eldar leader has managed to lead a very spirited and tenacious defense against the Imperial offensive and every attack has been met with massive casualties. The Imperial commanders have targeted the Farseer for assassination and due to the psychic power of this individual, the Culexus temple has been given the task.

I climb down the ladders from the bridge to the holding cell where my charge has been kept. Despite the discipline of the crew the captain has strongly recommended that I keep her secluded, away from his men. Even stalwart servants of the Inquisition get nervous when in the presence of a Culexus assassin.

She is still in the same place where I left her as I enter her cell. The captain was gracious enough to equip her holding cell with a cot and a few personal effects I keep with me to make her more comfortable. She is sitting at the corner of the bed with her legs curled around her body, her violet eyes staring into space. She is kept in a suspended trance when not on a mission in order to keep her powers in check.

Over the past fifteen years I have watched as she has matured into a beautiful young woman. The skintight body suit all operatives wear reveals a slender and firm body developed with years of physical training while her long black hair frames her high cheekbones and rounded lips. She would be so beautiful if it wasn't for the aura of malice and despair that emanates from her very soul.

I offer a silent prayer to the Emperor as I prepare her gear for combat. I was assigned to be the girl's handler in the early stages of her training when the training officers tried to separate us. I still shutter when I think of their faces, twisted in silent unending agony as she ripped their souls to shreds. After that I was the only person she allowed to come near her.

After years of training she was finally deemed fit for combat. I remember how proud I was of her when she completed her first mission and how impressed the Temple officials were with her power. For years we worked together serving the will of the Emperor: the rouge governor of Praxis II, the Tyranid Hive Mind of the Ixan system, the Chaos sorcerer cult on Ashtor V. Every time we are called to perform our duty she has proven herself time and time again, so well that I have heard rumors of her deeds being mentioned in the mighty halls of Terra itself. With every mission, with every kill carried out in the Emperor's name my pride and love for her grows. She is almost like a daughter to me.

I push these thoughts out of my head as I finish preparing the Animus Speculum. This is her greatest weapon, a skull shaped helmet with a large targeting reticule over her left eye known as "the Eye". When I open the eye it allows her powers to be used to its fullest, and truly terrifying, extent. Luckily for me I had special inhibitors attached to my brain and powerful psychic wards tattooed on my body that allow me to avoid most of the negative effects of her powers. I finish with the helmet and turn to her.

"Initiate Culexus protocol 02114 pass code: The Emperor protects"

Over the course of her training the temple officials implanted this phrase into her head. It is a signal that allows her to become fully aware of her powers. She closes her eyes as she passes out into a preparatory trance. I now have thirty seconds to secure her helmet and contain the full effects of the null gene before she wakes up. Thankfully years of practice allow me to have the helmet on in twenty.

She rises from her cot as I don my flak armor and check my bolt pistol. The interface on my left wrist allows me to control the animus and guide her powers. We are ready. As we enter the teleporter room she grabs my hand. I turn my head to look at her and give her a reassuring smile.

"It's going to be okay. I'll be right beside you."

I swear I feel her smile underneath her mask.

* * *

_Inquisitor report star date 699981M.41_

_Location: Teldac IV aboard the Inquisition Black Ship Imperial Hammer_

_Sender: Lord High Inquisitor Caledor Sarmas_

_Recipient: Culexus Temple_

_Classification: Highly secret_

_Subject matter: post action report_

It is with great joy I that I report final Imperial victory on the planet Teldac IV and great regret that I must report the termination of a Culexus operative, killed in a skirmish with the hated Eldar xenos. Due to the spirited nature of the Eldar counter offensive under the command of a xenos psyker known as Farseer Lothdianor, Imperial command requested a surgical strike to take out the alien leadership. Thanks to the strategic nature of the Teldac system and the immense power of the xenos psyker the Officio Assassinorum authorized the use of a Culexus Assassin. I am pleased to announce that the mission was a resounding success, the alien leader has been neutralized, and the enemy resistance has been broken. However, there were several…complications that require the attention of the Temple officials.

As you are no doubt aware the Temple's policy is to monitor the status of each of its operatives constantly in order to prevent any complications from arising. This black box system runs through the equipment of the operative's handler and allows officials such as myself to witness the mission. I have attached the video file to this message and I would like to draw you attention to the last remaining minutes of the vid file.

As you will notice the operative has already dispatched with the xenos leader. I would wish to let be known that I was especially impressed with the look of terror on the alien's face as she lay on the ground twitching in agony. The handler turns to look at his charge and begins to prep her for pick up when he suddenly collapses. It appears that one of the alien leader's bodyguards was still alive after the initial assault and managed to stab the handler through the chest with a spear. While the man was dead within seconds the cameras keep rolling. While the picture is faint the figure of the operative can still be seen kneeling next to the body and the auditory sensors pick up a muffled scream. It was at this point that sensors on the Black Ship began to pick up strange energy readings emanating from the site of the skirmish. It appeared that the psychic scream emanating from the Culexus operative threatened to rip a hole in the Warp itself and place the planet itself in jeopardy. I had no choice but to activate the operative's termination protocols and save the planet, the Imperial forces, and Inquisition resources.

While the loss of such a valuable resource is regrettable it was deemed necessary in order to safeguard the Imperial offensive in the entire system. It is my personal recommendation that the girl and her handler be returned to the Culexus Temple and buried with full Imperial honors.

The Emperor saves, the Emperor protects


End file.
